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March 15, 2024
MoAW
presents
The Benevolent Kings
of the Temple to Buddha
Gift of Heather James Fine Art
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Previous exhibitions of these artifacts include:
San Antonio Museum of Art
Heaven and Hell,
Salvation and Retribution in the Pure Land Buddhism
May 2017 - September 2017
Ackland Art Museum
Religion and Ritual
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
January - May 2018
Museum of Ancient Wonders
All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife
January 2022
(permanent collection)
A pair of Wooden Temple Figures
The Nio Statues of Japan
Benevolent Kings of the Temple to Buddha
Late Muromachi to Early Edo Period
(1467 to 1652)
Flanking the entrance to a Japanese temple devoted to Buddha, the lifesize Nio Statues, or "benevolent kings," stand to dispel evil spirits, demons, and thieves. These were created by skilled and talented artisans of the late Muromachi to Early Edo periods, or approximately between 1467 and 1652. These dramatic masterpieces evoke powerful forces to protect the Buddha within by emitting the cosmic sounds of life and death.
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The closed-mouth figure is Ungyo, who utters “un” or “om” resonating with the sound of death. He is also called Nareen Kongo and is said to be a form of the Indian god Vishnu. With his tightly closed mouth and tensed arms, he represents latent might. The open-mouthed partner is Misshaku Kongo (Agyo), who sounds “ah,” meaning birth. He is equated to the Indian deity Vajrapani, whose name means “thunderbolt holder.” He bares his teeth, raises his open hand, and holds a Kongosho, which is a symbol of the power he represents. | |
The Nio statues are constructed in the traditional multi-block design. Old works were conventionally repaired bit by bit, over time, as individual blocks shrank at different rates or were damaged by insects. Damaged blocks were removed, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and replaced with exact copies of the piece. It is common to find figures with repairs spanning hundreds of years, as is the case with these particular pieces. This spectacular pair were originally lacquered. Though none of the lacquer survives, there is evidence of the gesso-like layer on the surface of each figure. | |
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Sleeping Hermaphroditus
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
(7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680)
Louvre Museum, Paris, France
Announcing the Future
LGBTQ+ World History Museum
In association with the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
presents
BCE to LGBTQ+
Out of the darkness, into the light.
10,000 Years of LGBTQ+ History
In one exhibition, BCE to LGBTQ+ dramatically illustrates a vast and universal depiction of LGBTQ+ history, from the mythological to the rulers, warriors, artists, scientists, entertainers, activists, and the unidentified who have contributed to civilization, from ancient epochs and periods to modern society, experienced in a geographical, chronological timeline.
Encompassing 10,000 years, from Mediterranean rock art of 9,600 years ago to ancient Africa, Asia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and on to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Early, Middle, and Late civilization, with a gender-diverse history presented in a global perspective.
This unprecedented exhibition allows visitors to explore and appreciate the human history of LGBTQ+ experiences, contributions, tribulations, and triumphs throughout the millennia to the 21st Century. An immersive experience, BCE to LGBTQ+, Out of the Darkness, Into the Light is a vivid history of humankind’s natural diversity, adaptation, and resilience to thrive.
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Mesolithic Period of the Cenozoic Era
9,600 BCE
Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum
Palermo, Sicily
The earliest evidence of human art are cave paintings. The oldest cave drawings or cave paintings in Europe are found in the Spanish El Castillo Cave (ca. 40,000 years B.P., early Aurignacian) and in the collapsed Abri Castanet in France (Département Dordogne). Paintings from Chauvet Cave (Ardèche department) are dated to about 32,000 years old, and petroglyphs from Pair-non-Pair Cave (Gironde department) to about 30,000 years old.
The people who lived in the late Upper Paleolithic period have left artifacts and works of art that have been interpreted in terms of same-sex eroticism. Examples include some cave paintings and hundreds of phallic "rods".
Among these is a carved object from Gorge d'Enfer in present-day France, in which two penises connect at an angle of about 120°, similar to a modern double dildo.
A possible example of homosexual eroticism in the art of the European Mesolithic might be a drawing found in the cave of Addaura in Sicily.
In this cave, between 12,000 to 6,000 years ago, humans depicted men, only wearing bird masks dancing in a circle with erect penises. In the center of the circle, two men with erect penises are positioned on top of the other.
The archaeologist, who discovered the cave in 1952, Jole Bovio Marconi assumed that this was a homoerotic image; a homoerotic ritual for a god or deity.
Courtesy of Andrew Lear - Oscar Wilde Tours - www.oscarwildetours.com
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FREE ADMISSION TO CATHEDRAL CITY RESIDENTS
The Museum of Ancient Wonders (MoAW) is proud to offer free admission to all Cathedral City residents from November 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024, through the City’s Community Assistance Grant Program. The museum is located at 69028-B E Palm Canyon Dr, Cathedral City, CA 92234.
Cathedral City residents are invited to discover the Valley’s newest museum where they will find world-class exhibitions on display with a focus on prehistoric life and ancient civilizations to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts while providing museum diversity for residents and tourists alike.
Please bring proof of residency and fill out a survey before you leave to achieve free admission.
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CURRENT EXHIBTIONS ON DISPLAY |  | |
BEHIND THE MASK:
Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism
From the continent of Africa, thirty-seven ancient masks and sculptures dating from 2,000 years ago until the mid-1800s, representing 12 Central African countries and 27 indigenous communities are presented in the Museum of Ancient Wonders Behind the Mask: Ancient African Traditions and Mysticism, a very special gift from Heather James Fine Art Gallery, Palm Desert.
From a Nok terracotta head of 100 C.E. (Current Era) to the beginning of the 19th Century, this diverse collection of masks and sculptures from antiquity celebrates the tradition of ritual and mysticism from time immemorial. These once-used sacred and revered objects are honored and beloved in addition to being a feared and dangerous entity.
For the people of ancient civilization, masks and sculptures represented the invisible force of nature assigned to them, which may be the spirit of a wise ancestor, a tutelary deity, or any embodiment of supernatural power from the animal kingdom. Used to commemorate the events in their lives, whoever wears a mask combines and unites their strength with the spirit, enhancing value and heightening power, creating a mystical empyreal bond between the past and present, the honored living and the sacred dead. Together for the first time, and a permanent addition to MoAW's inventory of exhibitions, this stunning collection is currently on view exclusively at the Museum of Ancient Wonders.
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ALL UNDER HEAVEN
Earth, Heaven,
and the Afterlife
A Very Special Gift From
Marlene and Bruce Kanter,
Heather James Fine Art
Tim Walsh
Michael H. Healy
Tianxia (天下) or, All Under Heaven, is the ideal of a perfect and harmonious empire in the eyes of the people.
50 original antiquities spanning millennia (3,600 B.C.E. to 1920s C.E.) of ancient Asian cultures, from mysterious funerary objects and life-size protective temple guardians to delicate terracotta sculptures created for the tombs of the deceased. A tapestry of silk and gold thread, a rare lacquered cosmetic box, earthen vessels, and bronze statues, these ancient treasures from China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, celebrate the ancient world.
This grand collection of 50 Asian antiquities is divided into three sections: Earthly possessions, objects used by the living, the temple icons of Buddha and Shiva (Heaven), and funerary goods, objects found in the tombs of the elite (the Afterlife). MoAW premieres these dazzling artifacts for the first time together in one exhibition All Under Heaven: Earth, Heaven, and the Afterlife.
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PALEO: The Story of Life
4.6 billion years of fossil history
Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the unprecedented treasury of fossil casts known as PALEO: The Story of Life brings together in one exhibition some of the most exciting finds in the history of paleontology and paleoanthropology from over a century of worldwide excavations, exhibited in geological, chronological order.
From 2.5 billion-year-old single cellular cyanobacteria responsible for the oxygenation of the atmosphere to the first multicellular life 700 million years ago, PALEO: The Story of Life spans 4.6 billion years in scope. From the Precambrian, and Cambrian Eras, to the Paleozoic Era, from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods of the Mesozoic Era to mammals and prehistoric humans of the Cenozoic Era (including the famous Lucy skeleton), this internationally acclaimed, comprehensive collection dramatically illustrates the awesome progression of prehistoric life on Earth.
Displaying casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, this prestigious collection includes skeletons, skulls, claws, and eggs gathered from such revered museums as the Smithsonian Institution, the American Museum of Natural History, The Royal Ontario Museum, the Carnegie Museum, and the National Museums of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania, as well as many others.
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THE CRAB NEBULA (M1) IN TAURUS.
Photographed with the 26-inch Crossley Reflector at Lick Observatory. Copyright Regents, University of California. Lick Observatory photograph.
STARSCAPE:
A Journey To The
Beginning of Time
This spectacular collection of 33 space photographs combines breathtaking digitalized images from the historic Mariner, Viking, and Voyager probes with stunning photographs from the Apollo lunar missions, the Hubble Space Telescope, and ground-based observatories. Gathered from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the California Institute of Technology, the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the Hansen Planetarium, this awesome display of cosmic spectacles is a journey to the early days of the cosmos.
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photo: Steven Salisbury
LUCY:
(Australopithecus afarensis)
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and
the National Museum of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
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TUTANKHAMUN
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
2022 marked the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon. To share in the commemoration, MoAW's "Wonderful Things" exhibition is on a nationwide tour. Click on the link below to see the installation on the banks of the Sacramento River at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding CA.
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Please Become A Member of MoAW
by contributing to our efforts
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ALL SEASONS
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to more than 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, including Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call at (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
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MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities, establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
LGBTQ+ World History Museum's mission is to educate a diverse audience by chronicling 10,000 years of LGBTQ+ history with learning opportunities residents and visitors would otherwise not be able to experience in the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Saturday - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday - 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$10.00 Group Rate for 10 or more individuals.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums. Contributions are tax-deductible and gratefully accepted.
MoAW IS SPONSORED WITH FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
BY THE FOLLOWING:
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Alberto Acosta, Executive Director & Chief Curator
Joseph McCabe, Director of Development
Art Laboe Foundation, Inc.
A beloved resident of Palm Springs, Art Laboe was an American disc jockey, songwriter, record producer, and radio station owner. He was generally credited with coining the term "Oldies but Goodies".
Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
The mission of the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation
is to support Arts & Culture, Youth, Educational, Medical, and
Social Services, and Community activities that enhance the quality of life.
Municipalities & Societies
City of Cathedral City
Cathedral City Historical Society
City of Rancho Mirage
Members and Patrons
Pamela Hannah
Andy Marquez
Greg & DeeDee Barton
Geoffrey Gray-Lee
Townsend Public Affairs
Christopher Townsend
Niccolo De Luca
Anastasia Heaton
Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert
Marlene and Bruce Kanter
Tim Walsh
Mike Healy
Bjorn Kielman
Lynne Tucker
Zachary Weingart
Karen Speros
Nancy Dobrozdravic
Mary Madison
Carla San Miguel, CSM Traducciones
Margie St. Anthony
Skot Jones
Dean Keefer
Leo Stevens
David Garcia, ARSVIDA.com
Barbara Kerr
Steven Biller
Joe Smith
Kip Serafin
Sandie Newton
Sarah and Malcolm Beresford
Corky and Barbara Goss
KESQ Eye On The Desert
Tarek & Mohamed Ragab, the Egyptian Art Center
Marty Martin, CEO of Origins Institute, Inc.
Scott Robertson & Staff, New Leaf Caterers, Cathedral City
Willie Rhine & Albert Gonzales, 849 Restaurant, Palm Springs
Jack and Sandra Rivers, Canyon Printing, Cathedral City
Gamma Mu
California LGBTQ+ Legislative Caucus
THANK YOU
Founding Financial Partners Include:
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